Deschutes Rimrock Rainbow Trout Hat
by @john
Out of the riffle, into canyon light.
A painterly rainbow trout leaping a canyon river below basalt rimrock, in olive, crimson, golden ochre and sage, for days on the water.
A rainbow trout bursts from a canyon river, with basalt cliffs and golden hills behind it. The colours are olive, crimson and black on the fish, set against basalt brown, golden ochre, sage green and foam white water.
- Rainbow trout leaping a canyon river
- Basalt cliffs under golden ochre hills
- Crimson stripe on an olive, spotted body
- Foam white splash beneath the tail
- Sagebrush banks in sage green
The cap
One design, four caps. The front panel is what the paint or the dye sits on, so it changes the hat.
Trucker
The house cap — structured mid profile, foam-and-mesh back, snapback.
Specs
- Profile
- Mid profile
- Build
- 6-panel · Structured — buckram behind the front
- Crown
- 3½ in (8.9 cm)
- Visor
- Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
- Closure
- Snapback
- Adjusts to
- 21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Natural cotton twill
- Sublimated on
- White polyester foam
Rope cap
Structured five-panel with a near-flat brim and a cord across it.
Specs
- Profile
- Mid-high profile
- Build
- 5-panel · Structured
- Crown
- 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Visor
- Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope
- Closure
- Snapback
- Adjusts to
- 21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Stone cotton twill
- Sublimated on
- White polyester twill
Dad hat
Soft, low and unstructured — washed cotton with a strap back.
Specs
- Profile
- Low profile
- Build
- 6-panel · Unstructured — soft front
- Crown
- 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
- Visor
- Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
- Closure
- Strap back, brass buckle
- Adjusts to
- 21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Washed khaki cotton
- Sublimated on
- White polyester twill
Five-panel camp
Flat brim, low crown, packs flat in a vest pocket.
Specs
- Profile
- Low profile
- Build
- 5-panel · Unstructured
- Crown
- 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
- Visor
- Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm)
- Closure
- Strap back, side-release clip
- Adjusts to
- 21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm)
- Airbrushed on
- Field olive nylon-cotton
- Sublimated on
- White polyester
Fit
| Cap | Profile | Crown height | Visor | Adjusts to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trucker | Mid profile | 3½ in (8.9 cm) | Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm) | 21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm) |
| Rope cap | Mid-high profile | 4 in (10.2 cm) | Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope | 21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm) |
| Dad hat | Low profile | 3¼ in (8.3 cm) | Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm) | 21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm) |
| Five-panel camp | Low profile | 3¼ in (8.3 cm) | Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm) | 21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm) |
One size per cap. Run a tape around your head just above the ears, keeping it level — anything inside the range above will close on it.
Two finishes
The same design, made two ways. Pick one in the panel; the cap and the quantity are yours to choose too.
Hand airbrushed
$85 for one hat, on a trucker
Painted to order — would ship in about 2 weeks
How it is made
- How it is made
- Sprayed by hand through this design's own stencils, one layer at a time, each left to dry before the next mask goes down.
- How it looks
- Soft gradients and hand-cut stencil edges. Every cap is a little different.
- What it sits on
- On a natural cotton twill front.
- Durability and care
- Water-based paint, heat set and sealed. It takes rain and a season on a boat; spot clean with cool water, never a washing machine.
Sublimation printed
$32 for one hat, on a trucker
Printed to order — would ship in 5–7 business days
How it is made
- How it is made
- The design is printed in dye onto transfer paper, then pressed with heat so the dye soaks into the polyester fibres.
- How it looks
- Full colour edge to edge, and identical every time.
- What it sits on
- On a white polyester foam front — sublimation only takes on white polyester.
- Durability and care
- The dye is in the fibre, not on it, so it will not crack or peel. Gentle wash, air dry.
The artwork
A rainbow trout breaks out of the current, crimson stripe glowing down its side. Basalt cliffs stand on both banks. Golden hills roll away behind them, and sagebrush catches the dry light.
Wear it at the put-in, at the tailgate, or on the walk back along the rimrock. People see the fish first, then the canyon, then the white splash under its tail.
Crimson is the stripe to get right. Keep its edges soft so it melts into the olive above and the pale belly below, and the fish reads alive instead of painted on.
The water it was painted from
Deschutes RiverCentral Oregon · OR
- River
- Deschutes River, Central Oregon
- States
- OR
- Fish
- Redside rainbow trout, Summer steelhead
- Water type
- Freestone
What arrives
- The hat
- A care card
- On a hand airbrushed hat, a numbered tag naming the water it was painted from, when the design names one
Looking after it
Hand airbrushed
- Spot clean with cool water and a soft brush. Never a washing machine.
- Keep it out of a hot car for long stretches — heat-set paint is tough, but a dashboard in July is not a test worth running.
- Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
Sublimation printed
- Spot clean, or gently hand wash in cool water. No bleach.
- Air dry. Do not iron the print.
- Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
- The dye is in the fibre, so the print will not crack or peel.
Details
Airbrush palette
- Colours
- pale sky, golden ochre, basalt brown, sage green, slate grey, olive, crimson, black, foam white
Details
- Subject
- rainbow trout
- Style
- painterly wildlife scene
Make it yourself
The palette
- Pale sky
- Golden ochre
- Basalt brown
- Sage green
- Slate grey
- Olive
- Crimson
- Black
- Foam white
The layers
9 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.
- Sky
- Hills
- Cliffs
- Brush
- River
- Trout body
- Stripe
- Spots
- Foam
The kit's stencil set is cut from these layers; with the cutter (12 hats and up) you cut your own from this design's layer files.
How to mix each colour
Pale sky
1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
Golden ochre
2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
Basalt brown
Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
Sage green
2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
Slate grey
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Olive
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Crimson
3 parts red, 1 part blue, a drop of black to deepen it
Black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
Foam white
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
Setup
- Ventilation or a spray booth. Water-based paint still throws a fine mist, and you will be breathing it for hours.
- A half-mask respirator rated for paint mists. A dust mask is not one.
- A compressor with a moisture trap, set and tested on a card before you start: wet air spits water into the paint.
- Reducer and a cleaning pot within reach, so a clog is a ten-second fix instead of a ruined panel.
- Spray a test card for every colour before it touches the cap. Colour reads differently wet, dry and on twill.
Prep
- Lint-roll the front panel. Every fibre left on it prints as a speck in the paint.
- Mask the mesh, any seams you want clean and the whole visor, underside included, with low-tack tape and paper.
- Stretch the crown over the cap jig so the front panel is taut and curved the way it will be worn. Spraying a slack panel flat distorts the design when it is worn.
- Spray one light coat of transparent base so the colour sits on the fabric instead of soaking into it.
Layer by layer
1 · Sky — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
pale sky — a soft wash across the top edge
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Pale sky — 1 part blue to 4 parts white, a drop of green so it does not drift purple
- Needle
- 0.5 mm (a 0.35 mm works, it just takes longer)
- Pressure
- 25–30 PSI
- Distance
- 6–8 in from the panel
- Passes
- 3–4 light passes, building the colour
- Dry
- 10 minutes, or 60–90 seconds with a heat gun on low, before the next mask goes down
Tip Fade wet to dry and never lay one heavy coat: twill wicks paint sideways and the edge blooms.
2 · Hills — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
golden ochre — dry rolling hills behind the canyon
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Golden ochre — 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a drop of black
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
3 · Cliffs — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
basalt brown — rimrock walls rising on both sides
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Basalt brown — Equal parts red, yellow and blue, then a drop of black to deepen it; or burnt umber straight from the bottle
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
4 · Brush — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
sage green — sagebrush and grass along the banks
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Sage green — 2 parts green, 1 part white, a drop of black to dull it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
5 · River — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
slate grey — the current running under the fish
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Slate grey — White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
6 · Trout body — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
olive — the back and upper flank of the trout
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Olive — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
- Needle
- 0.3 mm
- Pressure
- 18–22 PSI
- Distance
- 3–4 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes per tone, light to dark
- Dry
- 10 minutes between tones
Tip Light tones first: a light colour over a dark one needs many coats, a dark one over a light one needs two.
7 · Stripe — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
crimson — the red stripe along the flank and the gill plate
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Crimson — 3 parts red, 1 part blue, a drop of black to deepen it
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
8 · Spots — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
black — spots across the back, fins and tail
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Black — Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
- Needle
- 0.35 mm
- Pressure
- 20–25 PSI
- Distance
- 4–6 in from the panel
- Passes
- 2–3 passes
- Dry
- 10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
9 · Foam — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
foam white — splash, riffles and the pale belly highlight
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour Foam white — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
- Needle
- 0.2–0.3 mm
- Pressure
- 12–15 PSI
- Distance
- 1–2 in from the panel
- Passes
- Freehand, in short controlled strokes
- Dry
- 10 minutes, then check it before you cure
Tip Low pressure, close in and moving: stop the stroke before you release the trigger.
Step by step
Mask everything outside the art window. Spray pale sky across the top with an open soft edge. Starting point: 20 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, about 15 cm away.
Cut a hills mask and fade golden ochre over the lower sky. Same starting settings, 20 PSI, 0.5 mm, 12 to 15 cm. Let it dry to the touch.
Mask the cliff shapes left and right. Build basalt brown in light passes, darker at the base. Start around 18 PSI, 0.5 mm needle, 10 cm away.
Freehand or loose-mask sage green brush along both banks with short flicks. Try 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 5 to 8 cm away.
Mask the trout silhouette and spray slate grey current across the bottom, with streaks following the flow. Start at 18 PSI, 0.5 mm, 10 cm.
Uncover the trout and spray olive over the back and upper flank, fading to bare at the belly. Try 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 6 to 8 cm.
Lay crimson along the flank and gill plate with a loose shield, edges soft. Begin at 12 to 15 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, about 5 cm away.
Dot black spots over the back, fins and tail, and line the eye and mouth. Start low, around 10 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 2 to 3 cm away.
Add foam white for the splash, riffles and belly highlight in small bursts. Try 12 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 4 to 6 cm. All settings are a starting point.
Pull every mask, let the paint cure fully per the paint maker's guidance, then heat-set and seal as its directions say.
Cure
- Heat set at 300°F / 150°C. Water-based textile paint is not wash-fast until it is heat set.
- Cap press: 3–5 minutes with a teflon sheet over the design.
- Or heat gun: 2–3 minutes per panel, keeping it moving 2–3 in off the fabric so it does not scorch.
- If you have neither, air cure for 72 hours before the cap touches water.
Seal
- Two light coats of matte fabric sealer, UV-resistant, from 8–10 in, 15 minutes apart.
- Leave it 24 hours before the cap is worn.
- Never a gloss sealer on cotton twill: it shines, cracks along the creases and looks like a sticker.
Clean-up
- Flush the brush with water, then airbrush cleaner, until it sprays clear.
- Strip the needle and wipe it toward the tip, never away from it.
- Never soak the brush body overnight.
Common mistakes
- Hard crimson edges make the stripe look stuck on. Spray from further back in light passes.
- Spraying slate grey over the fish muddies it. Mask the trout before painting the river.
- Spots too big and even look like polka dots. Vary their size and leave the belly bare.
- Rushing layers lifts paint under the next mask. Let each layer dry before taping over it.
Tips
- Test each colour on scrap first; olive and crimson shift a lot with distance.
- Paint the trout's spots last of the dark tones so they sit crisp on top of the olive and crimson.
- Keep foam white for the very end and use it sparingly; a few bright flecks read as moving water.
- Darken the cliff bases more than the tops to push the canyon back behind the fish.
Every kit size
Trucker · kit for 1 hat
$229
Bought separately $255 · you save $26
Includes Starter airbrush set · Cap jig · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$9
Stencils
- Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 9 layers$18
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$48
- Transparent base and reducer, 4 oz$7
- Low-tack masking film and ¼ in tape$8
- Matte fabric sealer, 4 oz$12
Equipment
- Starter airbrush set — 0.3 mm dual-action gravity brush, mini compressor, braided hose$129
- Cap jig — holds the crown taut while you spray$24
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
Trucker · kit for 12 hats
$1,085
$90.42 a hat
Bought separately $1,234 · you save $149
Includes Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush · Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap · Cap jig and two spare crown forms · Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan · and 11 more
Every item in this kit · 15 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$78
Stencils
- Desktop stencil cutter, 12 in — the "stencil printer": cuts mylar from this design's layer files$299
- Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$22
- This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 4 oz — one per colour in this design$112
- Transparent base and reducer, 16 oz$16
- Low-tack masking film$18
- Matte fabric sealer, 16 oz$28
Equipment
- Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush, 0.3 mm$135
- Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap$179
- Cap jig and two spare crown forms$64
- Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan$149
- Cleaning pot, brushes and a half-mask respirator$99
- Heat gun for curing$35
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats
$3,165
$21.98 a hat
Bought separately $3,724 · you save $559
Includes Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes · Production airbrush · Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators · Production spray booth · and 13 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Blanks
- Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$756
Stencils
- Stencil cutter-plotter, 24 in — the production "stencil printer"$649
- Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$85
- This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included
Paint & masks
- Water-based textile airbrush colour, 32 oz — one per colour in this design$384
- Transparent base and reducer$49
- Low-tack masking film$54
- Matte fabric sealer$89
Equipment
- Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes, 0.3 mm$270
- Production airbrush, 0.5 mm, for base fades$95
- Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators$329
- Production spray booth, two fans$289
- Three cap jigs$192
- Cleaning station, respirator and spare cartridges$139
- Cap heat press for curing$279
- Drying rack, 24 caps$65
Guide
- Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded
The creator
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
trucker hat · made
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- rainbow trout
- deschutes
- trout
- canyon
- basalt
- rimrock
- river
- fly fishing
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- sagebrush
- leaping trout
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